


Bloed

by AKiro (AVero)



Category: NCT (Band), NCT Dream
Genre: Action, Death, Enemies to Friends, F/M, Friends to ..., Ghosts, High School, Human Haechan, Human Jaemin, M/M, Modern Setting, Mystery, NCT Dream - Freeform, Revenge, Sort Of, Suspense, Witch Curses, Witch Jeno, Witch Rituals, Witchcraft, heck I don't even know, kidnappings, more like avenging someone, you get what I mean...
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-31
Updated: 2019-04-03
Packaged: 2019-07-05 04:00:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 9,342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15855789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AVero/pseuds/AKiro
Summary: When people think of witches, usually the first thing that comes to mind is the image of an elderly woman flying around on a broomstick. Add to that devil worshipping and kidnapping children and you get your typical 12th century definition of a witch. Or in other words someone to be feared.Luckily none of the above applies to Jeno. He does have a cat though.OrWhen Jeno moves to a new town he hopes he can leave all of his old problems in the past. But the moment he steps foot into his new school it seems that his past isn't keen on parting with him yet. History is going to repeat itself, but this time it's going to have a lot more consequences.





	1. Intro

 

Name: Lee Jeno

Age: 18 years old

Character: shy at first but not afraid to speak his mind. He's loyal and cheriches his family and friends.

 

 

Name: Na Jaemin

Age: 18 years old

Character: arrogant, confident about his looks and popular with girls. Likes sport and hanging out with his friends.

 

 

 

 


	2. First day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> !!Please read this before you start!!  
>  There are going to be a lot of elements in this story that could trigger people and I want to make clear that it is not my intention to insult or hurt anybody. "Death" will be a recurrent topic in this fic so I kindly suggest that people who aren't comfortable with this better not read this story.  
> To those who aren't scared off, I hope you enjoy ^^
> 
> Much love, AKiro

 

 

Jeno really hates this. No matter how many times he's moved in his life he just can't seem to get used to going to a new school every single time he’s in a different town. In the last two years he's lived in three different countries, at five different places and it seems that Bloed Valley isn't going to be for very long as well. Jeno doesn't care. It's not like he's staying long enough to make friends anyway, but just like all the other times Jeno hopes that he’ll have at least one person who he can talk to at school.

Jeno's father is a private detective, the best in the business. So even though Jeno hates the moving, his father doesn't really have a choice. Nevertheless, Jeno's never blamed him for it. If Jeno had to choose between his emotionally unstable father of four years ago and his father now, then the decision's easily made.

It's been five years since Jeno's mother died. Her sudden passing had left them both heartbroken. His father in particular suffered very much, and although many years have passed since her death it seems that Jeno's father is still mourning till this very day. His father prefers drowning himself in his work rather than deal with her death.

Jeno leaves him be for now. His father doesn't know what he knows, and Jeno's pretty sure that his father wouldn't understand.

She never left them. Jeno sees and talks to her every single day and the reason why he's able to do that is because he's a witch. Just like she was when she was alive.

His father doesn't know about this of course, and Jeno doesn't plan on telling him any time soon. How his mother managed to keep it a secret from his father all this time he doesn't know. The only thing Jeno does know is that if word got out that he's a witch, he would most likely end up in an insane asylum. Jeno doesn't push his luck. Most people don’t understand. Jeno only ever told one person that he was a witch, and that's a memory he likes to forget. He just hopes that this school will be better than his previous one.

 

Jeno takes a deep breath. He looks outside of the car window and reads the letters above the school entrance. Cherrywood high school it says.

Jeno scrunches his eyebrows at the name. He can't wrap his mind around the fact that somebody had found it a good idea to give such a name to a school. There aren’t even any cherry trees in this area. Only acres and acres of conifers. Luckily for Jeno, his father's voice brings him out of his trance before any more weird ideas pop into his head.

"Are you ready?" his father asks. The man tries to give Jeno a reassuring smile but his face just ends up looking weird. Jeno sighs, at least his father tries.

He looks over to the backseat where his mom is sitting. She puts both of her thumps up. "You'll do great honey." Jeno hears her say. That's all he needs.

"I'll be fine dad," Jeno answers. He gives his mom a subtle wink and gives his father a hug before getting out of the car.

"Don't forget your bag!" his mother calls after him. Jeno quickly turns around. "Dad my bag."

His father looks surprised. "God, it's a good thing you're always so prepared. I didn't even notice." He laughs.

"Well somebody has to do it." Jeno grins.

Jeno winks again at his mother but he forgets that his father's still looking at him.

The old man gives him a weird look. "What are you doing?"

"Eumh, something in my eye." Jeno lies. His mother laughs at him. "Good one."

Jeno tries to ignore her but he can’t help the smile that creeps up on his face. "I'll take the bus back home so you don't have to pick me up." Jeno says to his father.

"Alright," his father nods. “Now go before you’re late.”

Jeno waves them both goodbye before stepping into his new school. He carefully takes in his new surroundings. His new school is a lot bigger than his previous one and that surprises him.

When his father first told him about Bloed Valley he said that it was a small town in the mountains with a population of less than eight thousand citizens. So Jeno's amazed to see that many students walking around.

He carefully walks through the hallway, making sure he doesn't bump into anybody. Jeno doesn't want to attract attention on his first day. He checks the number on every door he passes. His first subject is Math, in classroom A28 but everywhere Jeno looks, he feels like he's been there already. It wouldn't shock him if he had been running around in circles this whole time. Jeno keeps wandering the school for a bit longer, and just when he’s about to give up on finding his class, a boy with bright red hair suddenly comes up to him.

"You lost?" the mysterious boy asks.

"That obvious?" Jeno laughs.

"No." The redhead answers. "I've only seen you pass my locker about five times. I'm sure it was your intention."

Jeno coughs. He feels his face slowly becoming red. "Yeah totally."

"You're the new kid right?" he asks. Jeno nods. "I'm looking for A28."

"No way. I have class there as well." The redhead says. "I'm Haechan by the way."

"Jeno."

On their way to class Jeno finds out that he has a lot in common with Haechan. They're both the same age. They both dislike Math and they both can't wait to graduate. Jeno's careful not to reveal to much about himself. He only tells Haechan some things about his previous school and his dad. In return Jeno learns that Haechan has two younger brothers and that he wants to become a singer, but that there's no one in his family who supports his passion. Jeno easily asks him to sing something for him later. It instantly puts a smile on Haechan's face. Jeno nods in return.

With Haechan's help they find the classroom in no time. Turns out that Jeno went the wrong direction right of the bat. He isn't even surprised. He never had a sense of direction in the first place.

When Jeno and Haechan enter the classroom all conversations stop. Jeno blinks confused but acts like he doesn't notice. He looks over at Haechan for an explanation but the redhead shrugs his shoulders as well. Almost everybody has turned their head to look at him. Jeno shyly hides himself behind Haechan and follows him to the empty seats next to the windows. They choose places next to each other and wait for the teacher to come in. The talking slowly resumes but there are still a few girls who keep looking over at him. Jeno tries to pay them no mind. The classroom is already mostly filled. So Jeno guesses that only he and Haechan were late, but when the door opens at least five more persons enter the room followed by an adult. Jeno guesses they must be the bad boys of his class.

One guy in particular sticks out. The boy mindlessly rakes his fingers through his sandy brown hair and he's talking right back at the teacher without any care in the world. Jeno already doesn't like him. He can't help but think that the guy has a stupid grin on his face. People who show disrespect to their seniors aren't worthy of his time. Jeno is ready to turn his head when a figure behind the troublemaker catches his attention.

Jeno can't believe what he's seeing. There's a little girl of about seven years standing behind the boy and she doesn't seem happy. Jeno looks around him and just as he predicted there's no one else who noticed her. A weird feeling creeps up on him because Jeno knows that can only mean one thing. The little girl is dead.


	3. Trouble

Jeno honestly wants to cry. Nothing of what the teacher is saying sticks and he just has to take one look at the black board to tell that the teaching material is going to be very important for any upcoming test. Jeno has too many questions running through his mind to pay attention to anything the teacher tells. He tries to ignore the little girl but it's no use. Every few minutes Jeno finds himself watching her but luckily she hasn't noticed yet.

Jeno knows it isn't any of his business, but he can't help feeling pity for her. It must have been so difficult for her to die at such a young age. Jeno turns to Haechan before he can stop himself. He keeps his voice low so nobody else can hear his question. "Haechan, do you know who the guy with the brown hair is?"

Haechan keeps his eyes on the black board but answers. "Na Jaemin."

Jeno nods. He guesses there must be a reason why the little girl hangs around him specificly. "Okay so who's he?"

"He's the playboy of our school." Haechan continues. "He's totally rich too but he's an asshole. Don’t get involved with him. He’s trouble."

"Oh." Jeno lets out. He's going to need more information than that though.

Jeno's about to ask another question when a snap of the teacher makes him shut his mouth. There goes trying not to attract any attention on his first day. Jeno quickly apologizes since he doesn't want to get in any bad books yet. He can hear Haechan laughing next to him but he doesn't say anything. Jeno squints his eyes at him but it only has Haechan laughing harder. Guess he’ll have to wait till lunch to ask his other questions.

It's not long before the little girl catches Jeno's attention again. She's swinging her legs on Jaemin's desk but the guy doesn't notice obviously. Jeno can't see what's she's doing. She seems to be playing with something in her hands but it's too small for him to guess what it is. He strains his neck in order to have a better a view, but it is then that Jeno notices Jaemin is looking his way. The guy must think he's a creep since he's scowling at him.

Jeno subtly directs his gaze elsewhere but to his horror he looks straight into the eyes of the little girl. Jeno freezes like a deer in headlights. He quickly looks away but that only seems to confirms her hunches. Jeno really did it now. The girl gets of the desk and immediately goes over to him. She stops right in front of him.

"Y-you can see me?" Jeno hears her say. He can't help but notice that her voice sounds hoarse. Like she hasn't used it in a while.

Jeno coughs awkwardly, but that seems to be enough of an answer to her.

"How is that even possible?" the girl asks completely shocked. Jeno can't answer her. It would attract too much attention. He thinks about what to do when an idea pops into his head.

'After school?' he writes on his notes. He underlines the words so she knows they're meant for her. She nods when she reads them. It seems like she wants to say something else to him but she's gone before any words can escape her mouth.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this chapter is a bit on the short side but please bear with it. Future chapters will become longer.  
> The story is finally starting ^^


	4. Reason

This is what Jeno wanted to avoid at all costs. It's only his first day in this school and he's already talking to the dead. He's panicking on the inside. He can't believe he could have been this stupid. When it's finally time for lunch Jeno practically flees out of the classroom. He doesn't even care that he doesn't know where he's going. He runs and runs and before he knows it he ends up at the gymnasium. Jeno sighs relieved when he sees he's completely alone. He comes to a stop and takes his time to process what just happened.

"Fuck." Jeno groans. He leans against one of the walls next to the bleachers and sits cross legged with his head in his hands. "Fuck fuck fuck fuck." he repeats.

There are three scenarios in Jeno's head right now. He could hear the little girl out and if it's not impossible help with her problems. Secondly, he goes to her, listens and if her request is too much excuse himself and get the hell out. Or thirdly he could avoid her and act like she doesn't even exist. Jeno's pretty temped to choose option three.

If he isn't careful he could get into some serious problems. Jeno doesn't want a repeat of what happened at his other school. He knows that his luck won't last forever. If it wasn't for his father sudden transfer he would have already been exposed as a witch. Jeno tries to clear his head. Deep down in his heart he knows there's no way he wouldn't help the girl. He curses silently because he's so fucked. He doesn't understand how all of this could happen when it's only his first day in this stupid school.

Jeno grieves some more for his situation when the sound of two people entering the gymnasium startles him. Jeno frowns because he knows lunchtime isn't over yet. But given the fact that he hears both a male and a female voice Jeno can already guess what they are planning to do here. Jeno rolls his eyes. Karma is really coming for him today. Jeno decides to bounce before he gets into an awkward situation, but he regrets his move the moment he sees who they are.

Jaemin and a girl who's not in their class are standing right in front of him. The guy has almost half of his dress shirt unbuttoned and given the way he's smirking at Jeno he isn't even a little embarrassed by his appearance. The girl who's with him doesn't look any better. She's hastily buttoning her shirt up but Jeno doesn't pay her any attention. Something that worries him more is that he doesn't see the little girl anywhere.

"If it isn't the new kid," Jaemin grins deviously. "This area is off-limits you know."

"Says who? I was here first." Jeno says irritated. He doesn't even know why he gets so annoyed by looking at the guy's face.

"So?" Jaemin scoffs. "You were hiding behind the bleachers. What are you? Some kind of peeping Tom?"

Jeno doesn't even try to disguise the disgust on his face. He feels like punching the guy. Jeno can't comprehend how someone can be so full of themselves. He gives Jaemin one of his most fakest smiles ever. "I wanted to be alone for a bit." Jeno answers coldly. "But I'll leave since I'm interrupting things." He directs his gaze to the girlfriend when he says this. She has the decency to look down when they lock eyes. Jeno can't stand these type of girls. They're way to desperate. Jeno quickly takes his schoolbag and leaves without saying anything more. If he stays any longer he's pretty sure he'll knock the guy down.

After putting his schoolbag into his locker Jeno guesses it's better to look for Haechan before he does something stupid. He walks around the school looking lost for a second time that day but he eventually finds the redhead in the canteen.

Haechan waves the moment he notices him. Jeno waves right back but when he walks over to the redhead the same thing that happened in class happens again. Every person that Jeno passes stops talking and proceeds to stare at him. They don't even try to hide it. Funny enough Haechan doesn't notice it this time.

"There you are." Haechan says when Jeno joins him at the table. "Where were you? You were suddenly gone."

"I was throwing up. I'm really stressed so my stomach is pretty upset." Jeno lies again. He's not proud of the amount of bull crap he told today. Jeno feels even worse when he sees the concern on Haechan's face.

"Oh shit!" the redhead blurs out. "Are you feeling better now? Wait, are you hungry? Do you want some of my fries?" Heachan slides his tray over to him but Jeno politely declines. "I'm good." he smiles awkwardly. Jeno then looks back around and just like he predicted everybody has stopped looking at them. They're all back to either talking or eating.

Jeno honestly doesn't know what to think of this. When he thinks about it this could be all a prank of some sorts to scare him since he's new here, but Jeno doesn't understand why so many people would participate in something like this. It doesn't seem right. He can't help but feel that there's something very disturbing going on in this school.

Jeno doesn't even notice he's been lost in his thoughts when Haechan suddenly snaps his fingers right in front of his face. "Dude, what's wrong? You look lost."

"Huh? No there's nothing." Jeno mumbles. He tries not to show how distracted he is by making what he hopes is a normal face. But it doesn't seem to work given the way Haechan is frowning at him.

"Why the hell are you looking like that then?" Haechan asks confused.

Jeno opts for lying again, but he guesses it's better to just cut to the chase. It's pointless to beat around the bush. "What do you know about Na Jaemin?" Jeno asks for a second time that day.

"Is there a reason why you're so interested in him?" Haechan inquires suspiciously. Jeno doesn't blame him, he also would have found it very weird if someone would keep asking questions about someone they knew less than a day. Jeno guesses he must seem really creepy right now.

"He's my type." Jeno blurs out, but as soon as the words leave his mouth he wants to take them back. How he came up with something so random he doesn't know, and given the look on Haechan's face it seems the redhead didn't expect that kind of answer either. Haechan's facial expression speaks volumes, and surprise doesn't even seem to cover it.

Jeno guesses it's better to have Haechan think he's interested in Jaemin romantically than to be seen as a stalker. If this isn't going to get his questions answered Jeno doesn't know what will. "But don't tell anyone please. I'm just curious about him." he adds quickly.

"Yeah, yeah sure no prob. My lips are sealed." Haechan starts to ramble. The redhead then looks around to see if there are any people eavesdropping on their conversation but there's no one paying attention to them.

"Just between us, I think it's better if you stay away from him." Haechan continues.

Jeno tries to act like he doesn't already know that. "What do you mean?"

"Well Jaemin's a prick, for starters." Haechan scoffs. "And he's notorious for bullying other students and blackmailing teachers. Why do you think he was talking back to Mr. Kim earlier? It's so obvious that Jaemin's got something on him, otherwise that asswipe would have been expelled already."

That's something Jeno didn't expect. He kind of guessed that Jaemin would be a troublesome person just by looking at him but this is a lot to take in at once. "Well if he's trouble why don't they just kick him out of school?" Jeno asks perplexed.

"Well, everybody just lets him be with what he went through as a kid." Haechan sighs. "Jaemin had a sister who went missing a very long time ago and people have been walking on eggshells around him ever since. Everybody in our year attended the funeral and I can say to you now that it wasn't fun."

"So they found her body then?" Jeno questions.

"That's the saddest part. They buried an empty coffin." Haechan says upset.

"Why did they assume she was dead if her body was never recovered?" Jeno asks confused. This isn't making any sense. The little girl he keeps seeing around the school has to be Jaemin's sister since they look so similar. There's no doubt about that, but what Jeno doesn't understand is why she doesn't seem to be resentful. If it's true that she was abducted and killed then the next step for her was to turn into a poltergeist and to torment her kidnapper. It's not logical for her to be around her brother unless he had something to do with her death. And how much Jeno already hates the dude, Jaemin doesn't seem like the type to kill his own sister. The guy had to be around the same age as her when she disappeared for fuck's sake. There has to be another reason why she's still here.

"Because she vanished in similar circumstances as the other girls." Haechan says.

Jeno's shell-shocked. "More girls have disappeared in this town?"

Haechan nods his head. "Yes. She and four other girls went missing around the same time period. The only thing they ever recovered from any of the girls was a bloody hair ribbon. Are you saying you never heard of this? This even made the national news back then."

"I guess I was in another country." Jeno answers awkwardly. "Could explain why I never heard of this."

"Consider yourself lucky then. It makes me depressed to just think about that time." Haechan sighs.

"Yeah I guess so." Jeno says. This is not looking good. Jeno closes his eyes and finds himself doing a little prayer. Something he doesn't do very often. It seems like he got himself involved into something very dangerous.

 


	5. Promise

Jeno gets to know two more persons of his class before the day is over. A guy named Mark and a Chinese transfer student with the name of Chenle. It doesn't take long for Jeno to decide that he likes both of them. For the first time in a long time Jeno feels like a normal eighteen year old when he's talking to them together with Haechan.

For a moment, Jeno has all forgotten about the little girl, but just as he steps out of school with his new found friends and sees her standing right in front of the school gate Jeno is reminded of his promise to her.

The little girl waves when she sees him. She points to the direction where Jeno just came from so she must mean that she wants to talk inside of the school. Jeno nods in understanding but he makes sure Haechan and the rest don't see his head move.

"Shit I forgot something." Jeno blurs out suddenly. He has to have a reason to go back into the building without looking suspicious. Haechan looks up confused. "But we just passed the lockers."

"What did you forget?" Mark asks.

"My math notes." Jeno says. "I feel like Mr. Kim will do a quiz tomorrow."

"You're kidding me right?" Chenle laughs. "As if someone would be so cruel to test us on our second day of school. I didn’t even pay attention."

"I agree." Mark adds. "Come before we miss the bus."

"You guys can just go without me. I'll take the next one.” Jeno says.

“Are you sure?" Haechan asks.

"Yes." he answers. "I'll see you guys tomorrow." Jeno walks into the school before they can talk him out if it. He wants this to be over as quickly as possible.

Jeno's not surprised to see the little girl already in the hallway. He didn't even see her pass them. Or maybe she teleported, Jeno doesn’t know.

The girl has still not said a single word to him. She walks further into the school leading Jeno away from the school gate, not even sparing him a second glance. Jeno's happy he sort of explored the school grounds already. He now knows she's walking in the direction of the gymnasium. Jeno follows her silently.

She suddenly comes to a stop and turns around, facing him. Jeno's a bit startled when they lock eyes again. This is the first time he gets a good look of her. She has her hair in two little pigtails and she's wearing a dark green sundress. She looks like a sweet girl.

Jeno looks around to see if they aren't any people left in the room. Only when he's completely sure does he open his mouth. "Hello again."

"Hello," she greets politely.

"What is your name?" Jeno asks. He points over to the bleacher, silently asking her if she wants to sit down when they talk. She nods before she takes place. Jeno sits next to her, but he's careful to keep a certain distance. He doesn't want her to feel uncomfortable.

"I'm Yeri." Jeno hears her say. He nods. "I’m Jeno. How old are you Yeri?"

"I'm eighteen." she answers. Jeno winces. That was a stupid question. He deserves a slap for that. "I-I mean when you, you know." Jeno can't even find it in himself to finish the rest of his sentence.

The little girl doesn't take it to heart. "I was six when I died."

Jeno scrunches his eyes in disgust. He doesn't understand why there are people in this world who hurt children. "I'm sorry." Jeno says to her. He doesn't even know why he's apologizing, but he feels like he has to.

"Don't be." she laughs. "You had nothing to do with it. And it was a long time ago so I'm kind of over it."                

Jeno is surprised by how relaxed she is. "Do you remember how you died?" he asks her.

Yeri shakes her head as she starts to play with the ruffles on her dress. "I don't remember much."

"Absolutely nothing? A place? Certain emotions?" Jeno tries.

Jeno sees her frowning, trying to recall god knows what. She seems lost in her own thoughts."I remember pine trees, and fire."

"Anything else?" Jeno asks. He feels guilty for putting her through everything once again but he has to have an idea of what happened to her.

"Blood." she says with a grim face. "Lots and lots of it."

This confirms Jeno's worst fears. She's been the victim of a ritual. Yeri was probably offered by a witch in exchange for more power together with the other girls. But there's no way he's going to tell her this of course.

"Is Jaemin related to you?" Jeno asks to change the subject. He's already imagining Yeri on the ground, lying in a pool of blood with her wrists slit. Jeno tries to concentrate on the conversation instead.

"He's my twin brother." she answers him.

Jeno nods. "Is there a reason why you always hang around him? Can you roam freely?"

Yeri looks surprised. "What else can I do? I don't even know why I'm here. Jaemin is the only one I know besides my parents."

That makes sense Jeno thinks, but that doesn’t explain why he didn’t saw her with Jaemin and the other girl earlier. "Sorry. I'm being very insensitive." he apologizes.

Yeri shakes her head again. "It's not like you're going to hurt my feelings you know. I'm actually happy that there's finally someone I can talk to after all these years." she laughs.

Jeno finds himself smiling along with her. "I guess so." he says awkwardly.

"That said, you haven't told me the reason why you're able to see me." Yeri starts to interrogate him. "Are you like a medium or something? Can you see other people too?"

"I'm a witch, and yes I can." Jeno answers her, and with that the cat's finally out of the bag. But to Jeno's astonishment Yeri doesn't even seem to be a little scared. She just nods her head like this is something she hears all the time.

"You're taking this surprisingly well." he says to her. Jeno had expected a much bigger response from her.

"I'm an eighteen year old girl stuck in the body of her six year old self." Yeri answers with a pout. "And I'm a ghost. Sorry if I'm not impressed."

Jeno blinks once, twice. With all the scenarios he had running in his mind, Jeno certainly didn't expect this sort of answer. He slowly feels his face becoming hot. He doesn't need a mirror to know he's completely red by now.

His reaction on the other hand seems to be hilarious to Yeri since she's hiding her mouth with her hand, trying to hide her smile. Her eyes however reveal that she's grinning like an idiot.

"Yeah," Jeno finally mumbles. "I think I have to get used to the fact that your appearance and the way you talk don't match."

That has Yeri laughing even harder. This time she doesn't bother covering her teeth, so Jeno can see all of her gums. Her smile is contagious.                            

"I've really missed this." Yeri suddenly says. "It's been so long since I've talked to somebody."

She then turns to face Jeno more directly and carefully takes his hands into her own. It's almost like she can't believe that she can touch Jeno as well. "Thank you." she utters quietly. Jeno doesn't know what to say after all that. He's rendered speechless by how sincere she is. Jeno smiles and gives her hands a gentle squeeze. "You don't have to thank me."

"Yes I do." she answers seriously. "You're helping me."

"How am I helping you?" he asks perplexed. Nothing of what she says makes any sense to Jeno.

"You're keeping me sane," Yeri tells him. "You're kind."

Jeno can't believe what he's hearing. "I wouldn't say that Yeri. If I'm right about this, and there's no doubt about that, then it was a witch who was responsible for your death." he mumbles upset. "I'm the same."

Yeri doesn't look convinced. She retracts her hands and crosses her arms, scowling at him. "So you kill?" She inquires to Jeno's surprise. 

"What? Of course not!" He replies shocked. Jeno doesn't even eat animals, the thought alone making him feel sick to his stomach.

"Then don't sweat it." Yeri answers casually. She says it in a way that makes Jeno feel like a ten year old. "Why would I be angry at you for something you didn't do?"

Yeri smiles arrogantly. Jeno can't help being reminded of Jaemin.

"You should be. I know I would be." he answers her.

Yeri huffs. Her face tells him that's she's starting to become very annoyed. "Look, I know I'm dead. I don’t even know for how long, but I don’t care anymore. You're the first person I've talked to in years and the fact that you can even see me blows my mind. I-I couldn't be more happy." She stutters.

Jeno shuts his mouth when he sees the tears in her eyes. She starts wiping away at her face in frustration. "So please, don't pity me Jeno. Treat me like a normal human being." Yeri finishes quietly.

Jeno panics, thinking that if she goes on like this she’ll hurt herself. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry Yeri.” Jeno shrieks. He hugs her close before his brain can register what he’s doing. Jeno hates to be intrusive, but Yeri doesn’t seem to mind the skinship. She nuzzles her nose against Jeno’s neck and sighs softly against his skin.

 

Jeno feels determined when he has Yeri in his arms like this. He has finally made up his mind. Seems he’s getting involved after all. He’ll take revenge on her behalf. Yeri didn’t deserve to die that way.

"Don't worry." Jeno says as he strokes her hair. "I'll find the one who did this to you and I'll bring them hell." And he really means it. Jeno’s prepared to fight for her.

Yeri looks up confused. She doesn’t seem convinced in the slightest. Jeno nods reassuringly. “I can.”

"Really?" she asks warily. Jeno huffs when he retracts his hands. “Yes.”

It seems like she doesn’t believe a thing of what he’s telling her.

“Then how?” She demands. Jeno doesn’t understand how it’s possible she already forgot. "I'm a witch Yeri. Remember?"

Jeno points to himself when he says this. Yeri looks even more confused, but then the penny finally drops. “You can find the person who killed me?” she asks shocked.

“Yes,” Jeno answers. “Well technically I can’t. But my mom will.”

Yeri smiles dejected. “And what difference would it make? I’ll stay dead even if we find them.”

Jeno doesn’t know what’s happening. He wanted to cheer Yeri up, not depress her further. This wasn’t his intention at all. When he sees Yeri’s expression it looks like she already has lost all hope of ever finding peace. It’s breaking Jeno’s heart. This isn’t what he wanted.

But Jeno refuses to call himself a witch if he’ll allow her to give up before they even tried. Jeno doesn’t know what’s coming over him when he flicks her forehead. “This could be your chance to go to heaven and find peace!” Jeno snaps. “Why are you giving up so easily?”  

Yeri’s eyes lit up when she hears that. Jeno holds his breath. For a moment it looks like she refuses to let herself hope again but Jeno sighs relieved when he sees the little glint in her eyes.                                      

“Introduce me to your mom.” She says eventually.

“Gladly.” Jeno smiles.

 


	6. Intro II

 

Name: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan

Age: 18 years old

Character: He’s impulsive, talkative and very social. He’s unprejudiced but has a strong mind of his own.

He likes dancing and singing, and hopes to become an idol one day.

 

 

Name: Zhong Chenle

Age: 18 years old

Character: He’s a brave and honest person who spends his free time reading romance novels.

He’s a transfer student from Shanghai, China.          

 

 

Name: Mark Lee

Age: 19 years old

Character: He’s social, kind and considerate of the people around him.

He was held back a year but he makes the best of it. He practiced judo as a kid.


	7. Feeling

 

Yeri and Jeno walk in comfortable silence to the bus stop. He's glad she has finally calmed down, but Jeno makes a mental note to be more careful with his words in the future. He has no idea what goes on in Yeri's head, and from what he can tell she doesn't seem very stable.

Emotionally, Yeri's just like her appearance. Childlike. And Jeno’s not willing to take any risks at the moment. This could all turn against him at one point if he crosses any boundaries.

A sudden gust of wind brings him out of his thoughts. Jeno secures his scarf tighter around his neck to keep the cold from getting directly onto his skin. It's only October and he's already suffering from the weather.

This is the only thing Jeno's jealous of when it comes to being a ghost. It could be hot enough to fry an egg on the hood of a car or cold enough to chill drinks in the garden instead of the freezer, a ghost wouldn't be bothered by the weather. No matter how extreme the temperatures.

Yeri doesn't even notice it's freezing. She happily skips next to him in her sundress and hums a happy tune. If people were able to see her they would have never guessed that they were seeing a death girl.

As Jeno sees Yeri walking on the sidewalk he wonders what she would look like if she wasn't killed. They'd also be in the same class. He tries to imagine her taller, with longer hair and maybe even a bit of makeup. But he quickly shakes his head. That image in his head isn't Yeri. The real Yeri is walking right here with him.

Jeno carefully looks around to see if there's anyone coming their way but there aren't any people left on the street. The cold has chased everybody inside already. Jeno guesses they can talk comfortably without anybody finding out.

"Don't take this the wrong way or anything but I don't like your brother." Jeno says out of the blue. He feels kind of bad for badmouthing Jaemin right in front of her but he has to get this off his chest. He knows he's being quite rude but it's better to be brutally honest right from the start. Yeri shrugs.

"I also don't know what happened to him honestly." she sighs. "He wasn't like this when we were younger."

Jeno makes a face. "What do you mean?" He knows better than to judge people based on only one encounter but from what he’s seen so far it’s pretty difficult to see Yeri’s twin brother in a positive light. Jeno doesn’t want to say it out loud but even he thinks Jaemin is an asshole and he has only known the guy for one day. Haechan, Mark and Chenle probably share his opinion too. And at least two thirds of his class.

“I don’t know how to explain it.” She mutters. “After I died he never really had the time to morn over my death I guess.”

Jeno thinks he touched a nerve there. Yeri looks dejected and closes herself off after that. He understands that it must be tough for her to speak about this so he doesn’t push her. They continue walking in silence till they reach the bus stop, but Jeno feels the atmosphere around them turning heavy quickly.

He sighs relieved when he sees the bus already arriving. They made it just in time, but Jeno’s happiness however is short-lived when he notices someone sitting at the end of the bus that he wasn’t planning on seeing so soon. Jeno honestly wants to pull his hair out from frustration. When he thought this day couldn’t get any worse he finds out that he has to take the same bus back home as that Jaemin guy.

Yeri laughs when she sees how serious his face is. She seems to sense his annoyance since she tries to calm him down. “Try not to kill my brother Jeno. Even if you don’t like him I still do so please bear with him.” She winks. Jeno grits his teeth.

“Don’t get your hopes up Yeri,” he starts to mumble. “I’ll play nice if he does too.”

Jeno doesn’t want Jaemin to notice anything weird so he carefully starts to pull out his notebook from his bag so he can talk to Yeri on the bus without being found out.

Out of the frying pan and into the fire Jeno thinks. He shows the bus driver his bus pass and quickly finds a double seat for him and Yeri. He doesn’t want Jaemin to know that they’re on the same bus but when Jeno glances in his direction he sees that the guy has already noticed him.

Jaemin smiles amused when he sees how Jeno’s scowling at him. The guy even has the nerve to blow him a kiss. Jeno huffs annoyed and sits down. Yeri follows his actions and sits in the seat next to him.

Jeno wants to curse this entire situation. He and Jaemin are the only people on the bus, not including the driver and Yeri and Jeno’s not happy that Jaemin decided to play the insincere social butterfly when he’s totally not in the mood for it. When Jeno looks over at Yeri however it seems that she’s having the time of her life seeing him suffer like this.

“You should see your face right now Jeno oh my god,” Jeno hears her laugh. “You look like you’re going to commit a murder any minute now.”

Jeno grumbles and takes his notebook. ‘Shut up. I might.’ He scribbles. Yeri giggles when she reads his writing. “My goodness Jeno, what mortal sin did my baby brother commit for you to hate him that much already?” she snorts.

Jeno doesn’t know how to answer that question. He just doesn’t like the guy. Jeno doesn’t know how to explain it but something about Jaemin makes him feel restless. He can’t let his guard down around the guy.

‘He’s an ass.’ Jeno writes instead. Yeri laughs even harder as she reads the sentence. She slaps his arm playfully.

“Calm down,” Jeno whispers-shouts. If Yeri keeps playing around like this it won’t be long before the bus driver or Jaemin are going to asks questions. Jeno carefully looks over his shoulder to see if anyone heard him but to his surprise he sees Jaemin leisurely making his way over to them. Jeno quickly closes his notebook before Jaemin can see anything in it and not a second to soon giving the way the guy’s ogling his notebook. Jeno tightens his grip on it before he can stop himself.

Jaemin smirks when he sees his reaction and settles in the seat in front of him. “Are you writing in your diary?” he mocks. “Are you a girl?”

Jeno sighs loudly. He’ll just ignore the guy for now. Jeno opens his notebook for a second time and starts to write, but he makes sure that Jaemin is unable to read what he’s writing.

‘He’s nothing like you.’ Jeno scribbles on his notes and Yeri smiles when she sees the words. “I know. I’m the amazing one.” She answers.

Jeno rolls his eyes when he hears that, but given the way that from Jaemin’s point of view they’re the only ones on the bus it’s only natural for the guy to think that the eye roll is meant for him. Jaemin must not be used to people directly defying him. And right in his face.

“Why are you rolling your eyes at me?” Jaemin snaps annoyed. Jeno coughs awkwardly to buy himself some time to make up a lie and looks over at the bus driver to see if he’s paying attention to them but luckily the man has headphones on. Jeno doesn’t have to worry about him.

“I had something in my eye.” Jeno eventually says. He does the movement a second time so that Jaemin can drop the subject. Jeno wants to keep the talking to a bare minimum but unfortunately for him Jaemin doesn’t seem to feel the same way. The guy lazily crosses his legs and gives him a certain look.

“Tell me about yourself.” Jaemin suddenly says.

Jeno blinks once before his brain registers that Jaemin asked him a normal question. He then looks over at Yeri and sees that she’s just as confused as him, but Jeno’s happy that Yeri hasn’t said anything yet. He feels that it would become too complicated if he had to concentrate on two conversations at the same time. Yeri just frowns at her brother as if she’s also trying to guess what’s going on in his mind.

“W-what?” Jeno mumbles. He winces when he hears how shrill his voice sounds. Jeno can’t help feeling confused by Jaemin’s strange behavior. He really doesn’t understand the guy.

Jaemin cocks an eyebrow at him. ”You heard me.” He grumbles.

Jeno sighs. He decides it’s better to just answer Jaemin’s questions than to act like this whole situation doesn’t give him the creeps. “There’s not much to tell. I only recently moved here.”

Jaemin nods but doesn’t say anything. A weird silence follows. Instead of saying something about his own life, Jaemin just keeps on scowling at him. Jeno awkwardly shuffles in his seat. He doesn’t know why but he feels like he has to fill the moments of silence between them. “I live with my dad. My hobbies are reading and collecting minerals and I also have a cat.”

“And you?” Jeno tries carefully, he has no idea what Jaemin wants to hear from him but he feels that his tongue has become loose. The words seem to fall out of his mouth before he can stop himself. Jeno feels like Jaemin’s eyes will burn a hole in him if the guy keeps looking at him any longer, but he finds himself searching eye contact automatically. Jeno wants to run away, but at the same time he’s just like a moth to a flame, completely compelled by Jaemin’s mysterious demeanor. The fact that Jaemin refuses to talk to him makes things even more weird. The guy just keeps looking with a certain glint in his eyes.

The silence between them seems to stretch even further but Jaemin eventually breaks it.

“Just like I thought.” The guy answers.

The confusion must be clear on Jeno’s face since Jaemin gives him one last smirk before he stands up from his seat and takes his schoolbag without even giving him a second glance.

 

Jeno didn’t even notice that the bus had already come to a stop. He watches from his seat how Jaemin crosses the road and disappears in the dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to let me know what you think. I'm curious ^^


	8. Ghost 1 and ghost 2

“Your brother is pretty strange Yeri.” Jeno whispers when they get off the bus.

For the first time that day Yeri seems to agree with him. She slowly nods her head, a noticeable scowl between her eyebrows. “I have no idea what that was earlier.”

Jeno snickers. He finds it funny how Yeri's already able to guess what's on in his mind. "You could have an idea. You're his sister."

"And that gives me the ability to look inside his head?" Yeri grumbles when she locks eyes with him.

Jeno crosses his arms and smirks. "You know him better than I do Yeri. How can I know what he's like? I've only met the guy today and to be honest he hasn’t left the best impression on me. No hard feelings but your brother is kind of a dick."

Yeri rolls her eyes. “Like I don’t know that already.” she huffs annoyed and starts walking away from him.

Jeno understands she doesn’t want to hear those things about her own brother but too bad. Truth hurts he thinks. It’s better that she hears it from him than from someone else, but Jeno’s certain this is already the case. She's been in class with them so there's no way she didn't see how her brother's like at school. There's no denying that Jaemin is an interesting figure.

 

Jeno’s happy that Yeri didn’t decide to teleport in her distress. Otherwise it would have been disastrous for him to try and track her down. 

“Well maybe he just wanted to mess with me. I’m pretty sure that if I keep ignoring him like this that he’ll leave me alone.” Jeno interjects in an attempt to calm her down.

“But that makes no sense?” Yeri notes confused. "If he had decided to bully you than he would have humiliated you in front of everybody. He wouldn't start asking personal questions."

Jeno’s mouth practically falls open at the revelation. “Just what kind of trash is your brother?” Jeno whisper-shouts.

“Look." Yeri answers while coming to a stop. "He's my brother and I love him very much, but he's manipulative and takes advantage of other people's weaknesses as soon as he finds them out. You better watch out for him Jeno. Even if he's my brother, I cannot approve of the things he does."

Jeno nods uncertainly.  Maybe he really did underestimate the guy.

“Which way is your house?” Yeri asks to change the subject. It seems she has had enough of talking about her brother.

“It isn’t that far. It’s about five minutes on foot.” Jeno answers her. "We're really close by."

“Alright.” Yeri answers. She smiles at him and goes back to her skipping from before. Jeno watches her confused. It’ll probably take a while before Jeno can say that he has Yeri completely figured out. There are too many layers to peel back.

 

Yeri doesn’t notice him psycho-analyzing her. She simply walks next to him and stops with talking.

She pays attention to everything she sees. The people they pass, the houses, the occasional bird that flies over their heads. Jeno can’t help but think that Yeri’s behaving like the six-year old she looks like.

There’s no way he’d say that out loud of course.

 

It’s only when they’re in front of his house that Yeri opens her mouth again. “Your house looks cute.”

Jeno follows her gaze and looks at the modest row house he calls home now.

“Thanks?” He answers her while fishing his keys out of his pocket. He never understood why girls always have the need to call things cute. An animal can be cute. But a house? Jeno just shakes his head.

He's just about to open the front door when Yeri stops him from doing so. Jeno is startled by the cold feeling of Yeri's hands on his own. She looks concerned at him.

“Are you sure you don’t mind Jeno?” Yeri asks suddenly.

“What do you mean?” Jeno says confused with his keys in hand.

“Won’t your mom be freaked out?” Yeri blurs out to Jeno’s surprise. “I could freak her out.”

 

Oh the irony Jeno thinks. “There’s no way you’d freak her out Yeri. I’m positive. At most surprise her a teeny tiny bit.”

Jeno wants to laugh but somehow he can keep himself in check. He’s going to introduce his mom who is a ghost to his new found friend who's also a ghost and to top things off died a really suspicious death when she was only six years old. If there’s someone who want to freak out it’s him.

Jeno silently opens the door and invites Yeri inside. “Would you mind waiting by the door for a bit Yeri? I need to check if my dad’s home or not. If he’s here then we’ll need to go to my room, otherwise we can’t talk freely.” he whispers.

“Alright.” Yeri answers. She doesn't need to lower her voice because his father wouldn't be able to hear her anyway.  

Jeno nods. He walks into the living room and starts calling after his dad. "Dad are you home?!"

He repeats this a couple of times but when there’s no answer Jeno’s certain that his father is still at the police station. “Mom are you here?” Jeno yells instead.

“I’m in the kitchen honey.” his mother answers him. Jeno feels his heart jump a little when he hears her voice in his ears.

Jeno kind of feared that his mom would be home already but there’s nothing he can do about that. She’s probably going to cross-interrogate them for ten hours on end but it’s better to get this over with as quickly possible Jeno thinks.

 

“How was school?” Jeno hears his mother ask him when he enters the kitchen.

Damn Jeno thinks. Right to the point.

"Where's dad?" Jeno says to avoid answering the question. He puts his backpack down and joins his mom at the dinner table.

His mother doesn’t notice his diversion. "He's still at the police station." she sighs.

"Then why are you home already?" Jeno asks her. "You don't like leaving dad alone when he's at a new workplace."

Jeno sees his mother sigh deeply. "I got tired of channeling solutions so I left about an hour ago. Your father is staying behind to take care of some documents so I think he’ll be back by around nine." his mom answers.

"Was work though?" Jeno asks although he already knows the answer to that question.

His mother sighs even louder. "You can say that again. The whole investigation is one big mess." she says angrily. "The family decided that it would be better if your father worked together with the police, but those idiots are giving your father a hard time. The investigators are not happy that there's an outsider working with them on the case so they're passing all field work to your father even though it's their job."      

Jeno gets a bad feeling. He knows from experience that his mother can become very spiteful towards the people who make his father's life difficult. His mother is not afraid to stand up for the people she cares about and she’s prepared to give the people she dislikes a taste of their own medicine. This is something that Jeno absolutely adores about his mom but sometimes she goes too far.

"Yeah, but there's no way that you'd have done something that would have hindered them in their work now would you mom?" Jeno asks hopeful. "Right mom?"

His mother gives him a knowing look, a grin appearing on her face. "What makes you think that I did something honey?" she smirks.

Jeno's mouth falls open in shock, memories of his previous school life flashing right before his eyes. "Mom, please don't tell me you levitated things. You promised me you'd never do it againi"

The smug look on her face instantly disappears when she hears her son's appeal, a pained expression appearing instead. "I didn't dear. There's no way I'd put you through something like that again."

 

Jeno wants to laugh at the irony of that. Given the fact that it's his own fault that he's in trouble this time. “Well... mom, now that you mention what's happened at my previous school... I think I kind of got myself into a sticky situation today.”

“What do you mean?” his mother voices confused. "Did you get into a fight?"

Jeno shakes his head. He has no idea how he can explain the situation. Jeno guesses it's better to just show his mom what's going on, instead of giving an explanation that would raise even more suspicions.

Jeno sighs and returns to the front door to let Yeri know that she can show herself.

"Make yourself at home," he says when she enters the kitchen before him. Yeri nods shyly.

When Jeno makes eye contact with his mom again he isn't surprised to see that she hasn't moved from her spot, completely frozen like a statue. Jeno kind of expected this kind of reaction. Yeri, unlike his mother doesn’t even lift her head out of fear. When Jeno’s mother finally opens her mouth again the confusion is clear in her voice.

"Lee Jeno what on earth...?" His mom stares at Yeri as if she can't believe her eyes.

Jeno sighs defeated. He also doesn't know how they are going to solve this.

When Yeri lifts her head to look at his mom for the first time she also acts in a way that Jeno expected as well.

 

Yeri's eyes almost pop out of their sockets when she sees his mother. "Your mom is also a ghost?!"  


	9. ########

 

"I'm not doing it! Isn't there another way?!"

"You think I enjoy doing this  ** ~~8ù8µ%µ8~~**? I’m only doing this because it’s the ONLY way! Why do you have to make me the bad guy?"

"I never said that **~~°5"#5~~**."

"You never said it but I can read it in your eyes."

"As if you know me."

"I know you better than you know yourself **~~8ù8µ%µ8~~**."

"Says who?! You were already dead before I was born!"

"And has the fact that I am dead ever prevented me from playing a part in your life?"

"Play a part in my life?! You ruined it! I hate you!"

"I know you don't mean that **~~8ù8µ%µ8~~**."

"Yes I do **~~°5"#5~~**. I hate you with every fiber I have in my body."

"Then you better do as I say **~~8ù8µ%µ8~~**. Otherwise I'll have to come back in the future. And I'll bring him with me."

"You wouldn't dare."

"I'm not lying and you know it. I also don’t like doing this but I have no other choice."

"Just promise me that this will be the last time."

"I can't promise you that. It'll depend on how much power she has left…"

 

 


End file.
